Coverage disability insurance

since the roads and highways are paid for by the tax payers, and in most cases is necessary for everyday living. Also to point out, now that it is mandatory to carry health insurance, one must be able to get to their respective job(s) or be fined for not being covered. So, in other words... since it is now law that the government some how now has the right to force a product on the American people, driving on roads and highways paid for by the tax payers, has to be a right also in order to comply with Federal Law. Liberals, I am sure this little fact will escape you, but many people work shifts where as public transportation is not operation during those hours. If someone commutes a fairly long distance, and many do have disabilities where as riding a bike is not an option, or those who live alone on a low wage and can not afford a taxi every work day, or have the option of car pooling. How can these millions of workers be expected to follow Federal Law to maintain health coverage if driving remains a "privilege" and can be revoked, or suspended?

My child has a permanent disability and is covered under a personal health insurance plan that I purchased before she was born. It provides excellent coverage and cannot be canceled unless I fail to pay the premiums or the company pulls completely out of my state. It has paid claims beautifully and even bought her a Wii Fit because her physical therapist letter of recommendation confirmed that the kids will use the Wii Fit much better than they will climb the "stairs to nowhere", or any other conventional form of PT. I can confirm my child prefers the Wii Fit "a thousand times more than the old therapies". Also, her multiple surgeries have been completely paid without a hitch and her orthopedic surgeon said he really likes my company's reimbursement policies. He commented that the Medicaid patients pay him very slowly and at a much lower rate and requires far, far more documentation. In the event ObamaCare becomes the law of the land, how can supporters assure me that they will not affect private insurance companies ability to survive in under the Senate plan that may be passed under simple majority or "deem as passed"? Would the government run health care we will receive 4 or 5 years after the taxes begin likely pay her claims as well as our current personal health insurance plan? Carole, I have read highlights of the Senate plan that Nancy Pelosi wants to pass under "deem as passed" without the Constitutionally required vote of both Houses and found it infinitely more complicated and difficult to understand than my 24 page private insurance policy. Nina, I have read the one paragraph in my policy that outlines the three reasons they are able to drop her. Again, the only way they will drop her is if I fail to pay the premiums, she exceeds the $5 million lifetime benefit, or if UHC completely withdraws from my state. They will not summarily drop her for any other reason. We have confirmed this with a lawyer.

like the title says I have those and insomnia I also am stuck without insurance ( unless obama changes it) so getting my prescriptions is near impossible its hard for me to leave the house sometimes and if im off my meds forget it ur lucky if i leave my room.. when im on my meds I realize thats pathetic but when im not ( thanx to no coverage) i cant fight it ( tried ) its why i dropped out of high school i cant hold jobs bc it gets me fired somehow ( dont show up bc im scared to even call , always fatigued ..yada yada u can imagine) so im all messed up n now even more so and everythings worse when u get it treated n then taken off prescriptions ... withdrawals from ambien was def sooo much fun ( sarcastic) my question is can i get disability so i know ima be ok n have something to live of off when i cant hold myself together , or at least insurance ( they wont give me state insurance) .. I live in ct im 21 milford connecticut* thank u every1 besides the 1 guy who said shame on me .. you think this is some get rich scheme? i doubt theyd even give that much i just dont want to have to rely on my parents and not every 21 yr old has adhd n insomnia but i know what u mean... but ive had it all my life I basically live and die on adderall if it wears off im dead for the day it lasts too long i cant sleep , Im so happy ur not a doctor/psychiatrist though youd make alot of companys happy im sure .. go do some hw on what I was talkin about.. I would rather be poor and ABLE to work than me and rich but if the government or some1 can assist me in a time of need i would take it as I desperately need it, and thank you to those who know what im going threw sadly even support on here gives me a little more hope , I hope no1 else suffers what i do

My boyfriend, was in a motorcycle accident on Aug.30 broken his wrist and cracked his pelvis. He had surgery on the wrist in Sept. and the pelvis is healed. The boyfriend is a reginal truck driver and worked for the company for 2 years. The doctor projected he would be back in Jan. but there were complications. He has nerve damage in his pinkie and ring finger and part of his hand. They are doing surgery for that on March 19. His company is now saying they have to put him on a COBRA plan. The HR-dispatcher guy called on Friday and I just talked to him this morning didn't get much out of him. My boyfriend has given the company permission to give me information. We have lived together for 12+ months. I'm so confused can they do that. They were paying all of his payment for the last 6 month. When he was working he paid his share of around $20. They said they would cover his share to be "nice". We have got nothing in writing ever from his company. THis HR person is not the brightest and I have any many run ins with this person. This person also made the comment about how if my boyfriend had been working the accident would not have happen. My boyfriend is a trucker driver. He had all ready reached his max or more for the week of hours and this guy wanted him to drive illegally and on my guy's day off. He is just a jerk and only cares about himself. Anyway the HR guys is saying that they were only supposed to offer insurance coverage for 3 months.Apparently now the company is getting Audited and is in trouble for covering 6 months. The HR guy would not give me any more information and said a 3rd party COBRA person will call me. So, I need advice on what to do. My boyfriend can did insurance through my work as a domestic partner it is around $79 a month but it will take time. He is still employed they said he is on a leave. i thought cobra was when you are no longer emplyed by the company.

So I just talked to a friend of mine who is 11 weeks pregnant and she was telling me about all the disability leave options and I wondered if disability insurance like Aflac will cover the difference in wages. On their website it says it does but only if you give birth more than 10 months after the policy is effective. I'm not pregnant yet but should ovulate any day. This is our second round on Clomid. I ovulated last time but we did not get pregnant. I'm really hoping this is our month. Is there any point to getting the coverage now? Would I have a chance of getting coverage for a normal pregnancy with it if I did get pregnant this time? I know that if I don't get pregnant this time, I should have the coverage so that I'll be in the clear if I get pregnant next time. I also know it can cover for disability due to pregnancy-related illness from a non-normal pregnancy so it may have value there also. I am going to get it regardless, I'm just wondering if I get it next week, and ovulate next week if I will give birth after their time restriction. Any thoughts advice or opinions?

Why is Obama ignoring the fact that the greatest health care concern facing America really is the fact that untold millions of people need or will be needing long term care which at the moment costs upward of $ 12,000 per month per person & health care insurance + medicare coverage only allow for the first 90 days of this long term care ? After health care insurance + Medicare ( which is for those on disability as well as for seniors ) long term care benefits expire after the first 90 days, the resident is required to pay privately for their long term care and once their life savings are depleted ( which frequently happens rapidly at a cost of $ 10,000- $12,000 per month ) then Medicaid ( not Medicare ) kicks in costing Federal/State Government $ 10,000-$12,000 per month every month for every long term care resident. Why is Obama failing to address this increasing need for long term care which, through Medicaid, is becoming the greatest, single, ever increasing expense for federal/state government after long term care has already bankrupted the long term care resident ? ruth - You are wrong. First of all many people ( not all of whom are seniors ) in long term care facilities require more skilled medical/nursing care than can be provided at home. Secondly, how many people do you know who, regardless of their age, have sufficient assets ( with no ongoing earned income ) enabling them to pay $ 12,000 monthly for years ? At an annual cost of $ 144,000 in 3 years time that would amount to over $ 500,000 What happens after these monies are depleted ? Who is supposed to pay for these long term care costs? We are not talking about whether granny should get a hip replacement at 79 ; we are talking about how to pay for grannys $ 144,000 + annual Nursing Home bill for the next 10 years ? gws35 -While I agree with a lot of what you say the fact is that millions that already need or will be needing long term care don't have long term care insurance or disability insurance and they still need long term care and.........that is exactly what Obama has failed to address......... PATRICK - Thanks for the insightful & brilliant answer. BTW - You can add the disabled ( alcoholic, mentally ill, etc. ) who also wind up in long term care facilities.

My mom has no medical insurance but she does have hospital payment assistance. She has a very bad back which isnt allowing her to work. She tried to get medical insurance through the government but she was denied she will try again but it will take at the least a few monthes for her to get coverage. She really needs help with her back and can't work because of it. How can she get medical disability if she cant already. We looked into paying for insurance but it was very pricey and my dads job doesn't offer it.

I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation about the providers for Disability Income Protection Insurance. Choices here are : ADA endorsed, by Great-West Life - Group Insurnace : They have very competetive rates. CDA TDIC brokered (Guradian, or The Standard ): Individual Insurancel Good coverage but expensive ( annual premium 4-5 times that of ADA-GWL)

My daughter in law works for a company that is being sold out to another company. She is 8 months pregnant and just found out this is to take place next week. She has been paying extra for several years for a short term disability coverage that would cover maternity leave. The company is planning on laying all the employees off, then the new company is going to offer to rehire with a pay cut. The new company is keeping the same insurance, but will this effect her maternity pay? Should she go ahead and go on her maternity leave early to claim her benefits?

My dad is now 62. But back in 1997 he qualified for SSI but did NOT qualify for Social Security Disability. Now, he is 62 and he was automatically switched from SSI to Social Security Retirement. The problem with this, is that he is not qualified as disable, even though he really is; and therefore does not qualify for Medicad and does not qualify for Medicare bc he was not considered disable in 1997 and he is not 65 yet. What kind of insurance can we get for my dad that will cover his medications and medical expenses? He has Emphozema and COPD from smoking so many years, so we are in desire need to find him some insurance coverage. Just doesn't seem fair that the government would do this to someone and leave them with no coverage. Any ideas on how we can get some help?

I have become permanently disabled & can't work. I have mortgage insurance but can't seem to find anything about disability coverage. I've been approved for Social Security Disability benefits. But thanks for the suggestions.

My wife and I are about $500,000 in debt. 95% of that is due to medical bills. My wife has several medical problems that will never go away. So if I file bankruptcy now I'll have new medical bills to put me in debt again. If I don't file soon I'll be garnished. We are trying to get disability filed for her but it takes quite a long time and even when she gets it they wont give her any medical coverage for two years. I never dreamed that I'd be in this spot. To make matters worse I've been on workman's comp for over a year. I had a back surgery in Jan., '09 that failed and comp, in their infinite wisdom is dragging their feet in getting it corrected. So we are surviving on $550 a week. I see no light at the end of this tunnel. I guess we are the poster children for health care reform. I've searched all possible solutions that I could think of. Frustrated!

I have been without health insurance for six years, and I have had a chronic and debilitating work-related back injury (herniated disk L5-S1 nerve rut) for the past four years that I was denied worker's compensation for due to the "lack of conclusive evidence." I am currently unemployed, and the injury has caused me to be medically terminated from jobs that followed the original job where I was injured. I've also had to turn down several other physically demanding jobs that fall under the type of employment that I would have otherwise been the most qualified for per my work history. At one point, I began missing large amounts of work due to my intermittent inability to walk, and the situation got bad enough for me to try to file for disability, but I was denied because they said I was, "too educated." My university does not offer health insurance coverage, and, as it stands, I'm having trouble changing professions to something that I am capable of yet not perceived to be as qualified for. I have looked into health insurance, including medicaid, in the past and was denied due to the preexisting condition. I was denied Medicaid in Alaska and referred to another high-risk and very unaffordable plan. Has anything changed yet with recent legislation, and what is the best way for me to finally get treatment or coverage?

While I was shopping in a store another driver "lost control" of his vehicle and slammed into my car. At the scene, the police told me he went into a diabetic coma, but on the police report, it states that the witnesses and the cop that was there heard a loud popping noise, saw the car engulfed in smoke, then it drove straight for the passenger side of my car.My car then pushed into another parked car beside me, and that car pushed into the next car as well. My sister was waiting for me in the car, in the passenger side!! She is thankfully ok now. She is definitely going to sue as she was obviously doing nothing wrong! and he is definitely at fault! I just started financing this car 6 months ago so I havent paid that much. I still had 36 months to go!My car was appraised and found totaled. The insurance will only pay actual value of my car. This leaves me owing about $5000.00. I have been on disability for the past few years due to 5 surgeries that needed to be done. I am now finally starting to be able to live my life again...reason for being able to drive and get this vehicle. The accident happened on Saturday night, I started my school semester on Tuesday. Now I have to take busses, which my doctors have previously advised against due to shocks and the roads in the area. I am extremely inconvenienced by this whole situation. I also have a 15 year old son that I pick up from after school activities almost daily (that I could finally do again). Basically, I am now going to have to continue to make payments on a car I do not have while riding the bus that is making my health worse(surgeries were on my entire spine), pay for rides and cabs for my son to continue activities he has already started for school, and wait until the $5000.00 is paid off until I can even start saving for a down payment, taxes, registration,etc to get another car. All of this because I wanted to grab a few things from the grocery store. Does anyone know of anything I can do to get any of this money from him or his insurance or am I just totally screwed?? Me and my son have been through so many hard times in the past few years. Me and my health issues and him dealing with seeing his mother like this and helping me at such a young age. Financially we have nothing. I'll take any glimmer of hope anyone has to offer. By the way, my insurance company does not offer GAP coverage. The finance company does not have it either! I did not even know about it until trying to do research since this accident!! Thank you in advance. I thank you for answers, but I still don't see how I am in same situation. as before accident. I was driving a car before the accident and owed money. Now I am not driving a car, have to come up with other transportation until I can afford down payment,reg,etc to get new car on road while still paying car payments after the accident. I understand the concept of paying the balance, because it wasn't my car yet and I signed the contract. But now I have to start again with money I don't have that I just came up with 6 months ago because of something I didn't do...that's the part I really don't get. I have no vehicle through no fault of my own and will still be paying on a new vehicle and the balance of an old one because of another vehicles fault. That does not sound like the same situation to me. Then my loan will be $5000. more than my new car. Again, not hte same situation...please explain.

My dad has not worked since 1997 and was drawing SSI until November 2009. In December, they automatically put him on Social Security Retirement, resulting in him losing all of his Medicad benefits, bc he hasn't worked in 10years. Since my dad in only 62, he does not yet qualify for Medicare until age 65 and we need some help finding some insurance coverage. He has Emphozema and COPD and needs coverage for medication, Oxygen, Doctor Visits and Emergency Hospital visits. We are in very desperate need of coverage for him. Can anyone please give me some ideas on where we could get him some coverage at? Additional Details He did not qualify for disability at his initial hearing back in 1997. Even though he is physcially disable, he is not considered disabled by the courts.

I was told that I should have applied for Elective Coverage two years ago. Well, this is news to me until last Monday. Is it true that I cannot get claim for Disability Insurance Benefits from EDD, that it's not covered for business owners?

My doctor sent in my claim stuff around Dec 18. I filled in the forms for elective coverage as I am self employed. Yesterday I just my "notice of computation" in the mail which shows my maximum benefit is $0. "You have insufficient earnings in the disability/paid family leave based period to establish your State Disability Insurance" - Well obviously this is because I'm self employed and I just moved in CA in March. I worked last year in WI. So what am I supposed to do now? I thought I'm eligible for some kind of benefit through elective coverage?

Hello. I was covered by Healthnet for 2 years with my employer. I went on medical disability August 2009 and my company agreed to carry me on the policy till March 2010. HR accidentely canceled my policy because, but reinstated me as soon as they caught the error. Healthnet said restatements can only be done on the 1st of the following month. So I didnt get my Health Insurance back until Oct. 1 2009. Since then, I have been getting nailed with denial letters citing they were not covering pre-exisiting conditions and blah blah. I called them up and they said that since I had a 30 day lapse in coverage (which was a technical error that my company fixed) then it would be like starting all over again with a new policy. Now nothing is covered Oct 2009 - Present because they cite pre exisiting conditions. This is garbage. I appealed to Health Net and notified the State Insurance Commission of California. Nothing has been done. Is this even legal? I doubt it. I have over 10G in bills and I'm disabled. What the heck do I do? Thanks Ben

So Now I have seen my new GP 2x. Dr. M is a compassionate Dr. making time for me to ask as many ?'s as I need to. BUT... i just would like to hear from ANYONE out there if they have been RECENTLY diagnosed w/ DDD or advanced RA... I started out on 2x 75 mg Voltaren (Nsaid drug) and 2x 100 mg Gabapentin... That merely took the edge off of the pain in my back and right leg. Today he upped the dosage on the Gabapentin to 8x 100 mg. I realize that's NOT a high dosage for these meds. BUT i am concerned that's quite a bit to be upped by... I have a follow up in two weeks and again two weeks after that appt. I am also being fitted for a Soft Lumbar Corset in mid~January. I am taking Calcium supplements as I am Lactose Intolerant. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks, I'll adjust to the med increase and have more flexibility and not be so stiff all of the time... I am hoping to get the referral to the pain mgmt clinic here soon. but apparently i need to be monitored the 1st 90 days as I am a new patient of his. Now because this is a life~long condition that can be managed but not cured, where does that leave me insurance wise or in regards to sickness / disability benefits?!? (btw I am CANADIAN) From here on out it is considered to be a pre~existing condition. So what am i obligated to tell a potential employer?!? I lost my job last year, my EI benefits ran out and i have been on Employment and Income Assistance benefits for months now. To cover all of my medical expenses (more than a few hundred $$$ / month) So while i am NOT employable at the moment, i will be Limited asto what i can and cannot do in the future. Based in part on how high a dosage of meds i'll be on and what my physical limitations will be at that time. I understand his policy to monitor a patient for the first 90 days, before even considering signing off on a potential disability claim. But my case worker is pushing for me to apply for it, since it will mean that i will have better medical coverage and a higher benefit rate. And instead of having to do paperwork each and every month/other month... I'd only have to submit 2/3x yr. Anyone out there who has been through this or knows someone who has ?!? Debbie... I don't suppose you'd happen to know where i can find the updated requirements ?!? I was pre~qualified for CPP benefits because i've been on med leave for more than a year. (but CPP does NOT cover month to month medical /Rx costs) Which is why I never applied for it. My disablility ins thru my bank denied me as it one of those non~covered conditions (generally associted w/ natural wear and tear/aging) Which i find a lil amusing considering i just turned 36. EIA will provide another 6 mths of benefits without needing further evaluations. As I am under strict monitoring for the meds I am on. It's just taht i do not want to find myself w/out a back up plan so to speak. If I take my CPP benefits I'd be severely impacting my potential retirement benefits down the line (assuming CPP exists in 30 yrs time) I'm a single parent and i am JUST making ends meet. I'd rather not find myself in a situation where the kids and I lose everyhting I've busted my a$$ for all these years.

It is not for me. It is for my father who is 57 years old. Here is what I am looking for, for him Part A-80% coverage Part B-80%coverage Part D-Prescription But I am looking for a supplemental cover difference for A&B prescription plan. My father is on permanent disability and only wants to pay around 200 dollars a month. Although that is workable. He resides in Illinois. I know it can vary for states.

I recently resigned from a position in California to take a position in Seattle, WA. The position at the new company ended up falling through. This was after I had relocated to the area and moved into our new house. I am 4 months pregnant and have insurance coverage for the remainder of my pregnancy and for a year after the baby is born. However, I am now showing and having A LOT of trouble getting a job. I am more than qualified for the positions I'm applying - I know no one wants to hire a pregnant woman knowing she'll be on maternity leave in a few months. Since I resigned from my position in CA, I don't believe I'm eligible for unemployment. I have 2.5 years of taxed income in CA. Since I never held a position in WA, I'm not eligible here for sure. I thought maybe I would be eligible for disability for some of the pregnancy related issues I've had: debilitating headaches, memory loss (if you think pregnancy doesn't cause those things in the second trimester, look it up, it does!) plus the fact no one wants to hire a pregnant woman. I have been paying SSI for 16 years through my paycheck and I do have a monthly disability amount I am entitled to if I am in fact disabled. My brother in law works for the company I was going to be working for, so I thought there would be no problem at all. I got royally screwed. I know that. Please do not respond if you're looking to boost your ego and lecture me on the choices I should have made. I have learned a lesson from this and it sucks! I just need some advice on where to go from here. Thanks! Also, I attached a link that discusses the pregnancy discrimination laws a little. http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html

I know I need the following: *Auto and Homeowner's Insurance *Life Insurance (20 year level term insurance equal to about 10 times my income) *Long Term Disability Insurance (coverage should equal from 50 to 70% of my income) *Health Insurance (look into HSA and have prescription coverage, etc.) *Dental Insurance *Long Term Care Insurance (for my father who is over 60 years old ... I would for my mother but she passed away 8 years ago) My father and I were a victim of ID theft, and Lifelock ID theft insurance did not help me at all. I am a little weary of ID theft insurance. Should I get it through the bank? Or, should I "freeze" mine and my father's credit reports through Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion? What about Home Warranty? Road side assistance? Etc. Please guide in the right direction I am 26 years old and I am living with my 77 year old father. I have to take care of everything. Whatever advice or an additions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

We have employer-sponsored insurance, specifically: medical, dental, life, and AD&D. The medical and dental are COBRA-eligible. We also have auto, home and umbrella insurance, and will soon be purchasing individual life and disability policies. Additionally, if we lost our jobs, there would be some severance pay or unemployment. We also have a 3-mo. emergency fund. We pay our credit cards off every month. Our mortgage et al. loans account for 22% of our spending. Do we really need this emergency fund? If so, should it be 3-mo. or 6-mo.s? I know 6-mo.s is the recommendation, but I can't think of a situation where we would ever need to tap into it based on all these other sources of coverage. What am I forgetting?

I'm currently on SSI Disability receiving Medicaid and Medicare benefits. I'm looking at possibly being able to go back to work slowly. I am worried about not having any health insurance though. Does anyone know... If I get a job that doesn't offer health insurance will I be able to keep my Medicaid/Medicare health coverage?

I have a mild form of autism. As you can tell, I am literate; what may not be immediately evident is that I am in excellent physical condition (I've been employed in a shipping hub for the past four years, moving packages that sometimes weigh as much as people), and the worst health problems I encounter are bicycle accidents, and the cuts and burns that most people have to endure in life. And yet, because I have autism, health insurance companies won't touch me. And they never say why. I can own a home (and a rental property), I can trade stock on margins (I don't, but I can), I can hold a job, and I can even occasionally get... ahem, a date. And yet, for an individual health/disability plan, I'm locked out. Why? I don't want a list of alternatives (including the state plan, which would cost most of what I make each month), and I don't want anything boiling down to "because they just don't." What is the real reason that autistics are barred from health insurance coverage, regardless of our health, employment, home ownership, or marital status? What is the REAL reason? While that answer makes sense... it's just so boring. If only autism actually were dangerous... at least then I'd know why I'm going to have to pay cash for my health care when I retire.

I have a mild form of autism that causes me no health issues, and hasn't been treated in roughly ten years. When I eventually retire (I am NOT waiting until I'm 65), I won't have health coverage because ridering for specific ailments isn't done in Indiana. Which states do allow ridering on health/disability insurance programs? I know, roundabout way of wording a question, but thanks. Well, if they won't rider for autism, why is that? It's not a health threat, it doesn't require medications... no one has ever come out and told me the real reason why autism is so untouchable from an insurance standpoint (my father was in health insurance for forty years, and never knew). So, why?

they said they sent my paperwork to an address from 3 years ago and they were sending out new paperwork for cobra ins. Never received and now I have terminated. Does any know what I can do now I am a diabetic and I need to have my health coverage

18,000 deaths blamed on lack of insurance By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — More than 18,000 adults in the USA die each year because they are uninsured and can't get proper health care, researchers report in a landmark study released Tuesday. The 193-page report, "Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late," examines the plight of 30 million — one in seven — working-age Americans whose employers don't provide insurance and who don't qualify for government medical care. About 10 million children lack insurance; elderly Americans are covered by Medicare. It is the second in a planned series of six reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examining the impact of the nation's fragmented health system. The IOM is a non-profit organization of experts that advises Congress on health issues. Overall, the researchers say, 18,314 people die in the USA each year because they lack preventive services, a timely diagnosis or appropriate care. The estimated death toll includes about 1,400 people with high blood pressure, 400 to 600 with breast cancer and 1,500 diagnosed with HIV. "Our purpose is simply to deliver the facts, and the facts are unequivocal," says Reed Tuckson, an author of the report and vice president for consumer health at UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka, Minn. Among the study's findings is a comparison of the uninsured with the insured: Uninsured people with colon or breast cancer face a 50% higher risk of death. Uninsured trauma victims are less likely to be admitted to the hospital, receive the full range of needed services, and are 37% more likely to die of their injuries. About 25% of adult diabetics without insurance for a year or more went without a checkup for two years. That boosts their risk of death, blindness and amputations resulting from poor circulation. Being uninsured also magnifies the risk of death and disability for chronically sick and mentally ill patients, poor people and minorities, who disproportionately lack access to medical care, the landmark study states. "The report documents the immense consequence of having 40 million uninsured people out there," says Ray Werntz, a consumer health expert with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. "We need to elevate the problem in the national conscience." Calculating the cost in human suffering, he says, "is one way to get there."

The healthcare conundrum: Private matter? Or public? I am fortunate to have healthcare options provided by my employer. My premium of about $160/mo is higher than if I was to purchase a basic private health insurance from Anthem or Blueshield, etc, but I get comprehensive coverage and need only to worry over the average of $25 copays per doctor's visit. Unfortunately, our group health insurance does not make any empathetic cuts to spousal premiums. If I was to have our insurance cover him, we would be looking at a $300+/month expense that comes straight out of my pocket. My spouse, however, is like many other self-employed contractors who prefers to forgo private insurance and risk going about day to day without what I call a peace of mind. What of the inconceivable medical bill in the case of a freak accident? As a spouse/family member, I would have to assume the responsibility of covering his expenses in case of disability and lack of funds from his personal account (if no other party is held liable). What do you think? Do you think health insurance is overvalued? Can we really live normal lives without it?

Okay, so I am in between insurances, due to a layoff. I was laid off due to the number of days I had to take because my disability has gotten worse. I can't use cobra (long story) and I need some type of coverage badly. I used to have Medi-Cal before I got my job in 2007, but was taken off because I made too much. Due to the worsening of my disability, I doubt that I will even be able to ever return to work. So, right now I am in need of medi-cal majorly, because I am on a lot of meds, one of which is Fentanyl patch. I get 10 100mcg patches and 10 50 mcg patches every few weeks. I found out that Kaiser charges $800 for the 10 100 mcg patches and $400 for the 50mcg patches, if uninsured. There is no way I can pay for those even with a job, so now I am in a difficult situation. Is there anyway that Medi-Cal will give me temporary coverage until there decision is made, or is there any sort of insurance I can get on for low income people? I already tried needymeds.org but most take at least a little time to get processed. I only have 5 patches left and if I have no way to get them, I will be thrown into a forced withdrawal; not to mention be left with excruciating pain. Does anyone know if Medi-cal will provide me with immediate temporary coverage?

I paid for long-term disability insurance on my job for at least 4 years and when I became disabled my long term benefit went from 1560 monthly to 326 methyl. I paid for this coverage preparing for the future, how can Cigna just decide what I should receive. This information was not given to employees in the initial sign up for the LTD coverage. I paid for the insurance the same as social security was deducted each pay period.

Michigan is a no fault insurance state. They force you to have medical and work loss coverage in the event of an accident taking away your health or an ability to work. You can coordinate with existing medical or work loss (disability) insurance to save money. Does anyone know if there are any mandates set for work loss benefits for a homemaker? The law forces me to carry work loss benefits for my wife, who is a homemaker and receives no income, however, it feels to me like I am paying premiums on coverage from which we would never - God forbid - receive any benefit.

My mom is severely overweight, currently at 390. She has steadily gained weight for past 15 years. She has so much stress at work(at home for a health insurance company that denies any weight loss help in its coverage, no bariatric, no lap band, no nutrition and limited mental health)....she also has my grandmother living with her with dementia. Sadly, my behavior from my teen to early 20's with drugs really added to her stress and I feel awful about that. She does great on going to gym and eating right when she is off work(was off for 2 months for an injury and lost 44 lbs!!!) gained it all back within 3 months after returning to work. She just doesn't have the strength and stamina to work and deal with life,,and then to focus on herself. Her doctor says she should quit her job and find one that covers bariatric surgery. First of all in this economy to quit a job is crap advice..2ndly, every interview she has been on she's turned down for and we think it's her weight. So we want to know if drug addicts and alcohols can be off work, why not obese? We called the disability office and they state they have no guidelines on obesity. Her doctor is unwilling to assist, so we want to know if it's possible, and if so then we will start having her see other doctors to find one that might sign her off and work on a plan with her. Any weblinks and such are appreciated.

Just think about this for a minute. The extremes on both sides are blurring the healthcare issue to keep everyone confused and fighting in hopes of getting their party agendas through, but are no citizens looking at these topics with an unbiased eye? This is, first off, not about the non-working poor. People who are on welfare have 100% government paid healthcare through Medicaid. It's not insurance as affects the rest of the population. They pay nothing for the policy and there are no copayments, etc. That's fallacy #1. This isn't about people who don't work. The other group who doesn't work are people on Social Security, through either retirement or disability. They are covered under a government sponsored health insurance to which they contribute called Medicare. This is more like traditional insurance in that they pay a premium and have copays for medical services, prescriptions, etc. The government is already involved in health insurance through these 2 programs that focus on the non-working in our society. This is supposed to be aimed at the working poor. It would be insurance of the more traditional type where the government would negotiate a large scale insurance policy (like it did with Medicare) to take advantage of the savings. Individual policies can run to thousands of dollars a month, which most working people can't afford. Many employers no longer offer healthcare as a benefit or negotiate a contract collectively for their employees to lower the costs somewhat, but then pass the entireity of the policy costs onto the employee making it, many times, cost prohibitive. This is, more and more, going to become the case since there are too many people competing for too few jobs so employers are now in the position of not having to woo personnel. The economy is such that it's the employer's market. So we have the working poor who are living paycheck to paycheck, maybe working more than one job, and still not able to afford health care. What happens when someone gets very ill? They go to the doctors or leave it until it's really bad, since they don't have the money, and end up in the hospital with enormous bills. These bills are extra enormous since doctors and hospitals charge out of pocket people substantially higher rates than insured people. Insurance companies negotiate contractual fees with providers in their network and will only pay up to a certain amount for services. In some cases it's astounding the differences. One practice I worked in had a difference of over $4,000 for insured vs. uninsured. So you don't have the money for the doc, no insurance, and now you have a huge medical bill. Bankruptcy has been rewritten so that it's not really an option anymore (not that it helped the providers substantially anyway as there usually isn't much to take and divide) so the providers spend a fortune on collections and writing off debt, which they then pass along to the next person in line, ie. you. Now providers are not uninanimously against this. Many have embraced it because there is a stipulation for mandatory coverage. This means they will be dealing with far less in bad debt and can at least be assured of getting paid the insurance portion. Where the rub for them comes in is those negotiated contractual fees. Looking at Medicare as their example of government negotiated insurance, they are scared. The rates for Medicare are substantially lower than any private insurance. Can they still make a living? Absolutely. They take Medicare because, if they don't, they will have a smaller pool of patients to take. Some opt out, but if this is national, they will be even harder pressed to turn their noses up at it. Medical costs are the highest in the country out of the entire world. Medical inflation is rampant and, unlike most things in a free market, you can't always decide to just not purchase. Medical inflation has consistently outstripped regular inflation every year for the last 20 years. That means that the devices they use and the labor they purchase, the ground and construction of facilities, has not increased enough to justify their increase in price. Pharmaceutical companies stand to make more because most people are opting generics over the name brand prescriptions (some of which are several hundred dollars per treatment or month, for long term meds) and having insurance means that when the new meds come out, before generic are legally allowed (to protect R&D and keep companies encouraged to continue finding new meds) they will be allowed to charge their assinine prices and have people submit because they are paying $60 instead of $20. Much easier than the "it might work" generic at $50 OOP to $400 for the "this is the ticket" name brand. The scariest part of this whole plan for the working poor is what are these "mandatory" rates going to be? Are they going to be equally unaffordable? Now you are violating the law if you don't I understand it

I was forced to take metlife's short term/long term disability through my employer. I was charged over 8000.00 ( eight thousand, not a mistype ) in 113 days. I was then laid off and recieved the benefits for one month ( 30 days ) I was injured on the job on the 27th day of coverage. I received workers compensation for over 6 months. I forgot that I had the short term, long term disability plan that I was forced to take. Can I still file a claim with metlife on the insurance plan ? Can you draw workers compensation AND metlife's disability plan at the same time ? Thanks in advance for any answers given.

I thought all veterans were given health insurance through the VA system for the rest of their lives. Is it only for soldiers who were injured, or only for service-related health issues? The reason I bring this up is this veteran says he has no health insurance: "I'd like to have some sort of health insurance I could actually afford," said Stuart Burrows, a Vietnam War veteran in Newark, a small town in central Ohio. "I stand to lose everything I ever worked for if I can't pay my medical bills." Burrows, 61, said he was exposed in Vietnam to Agent Orange, a toxic mix of herbicides used by the U.S. military as a defoliant that has since been linked to numerous diseases. He is retired on partial disability. But in March he had emergency surgery to remove blockages in his arteries and now owes tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, since his veteran's disability only covers service-related health issues and he has no other insurance. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090916/pl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_uninsured Do vets not get health insurance? I had always heard they did. Can someone explain how the VA system works? Thanks.

Aptly called the Patients' Choice Act, it provides a path to universal coverage by redirecting current subsidies for health insurance to individuals. It also provides a new safety net that guarantees access to insurance for those with pre-existing conditions. The nexus of their plan is redirecting the $300 billion annual tax subsidy for employment-based health insurance to individuals in the form of refundable, advanceable tax credits. Families would get $5,700 a year and individuals $2,300 to buy insurance and invest in Health Savings Accounts. Low-income Americans would get a supplemental debit card of up to $5,000 to help them purchase insurance and pay out-of-pocket costs. They would have an incentive to spend wisely since up to one-fourth of any unspent money in the accounts could be rolled over to the next year. The combination of the refundable tax credit and debit card gives lower-income Americans a way out of the Medicaid ghetto so they can have the dignity of private insurance. States could provide one-stop insurance shopping through new Health Care Exchanges rather than giving the federal government control, as most Democratic plans would do. And it frees up Medicaid money and provides added resources to the states to target additional help to those with disabilities and low incomes. It also calls for auto-enrollment to expand insurance coverage: People will have many options and opportunities to select insurance, but if they don't make an active choice they can be automatically enrolled in private policies financed by the tax credit. Who will control the system? Doctors and patients, or politicians and regulators? That's the crux of this year's health-care debate. This is the GOP plan: More Coverage, Less Cost without Government Intrusion into our decision making http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124277551107536875.html PS. This was put out in the middle May, 2009.

Why do you think health care is so expensive? I think health care is so expensive because of government laws. My father used to work for a Health Insurance company. We were talking and he said that some of the rules that the Fed has on Insurance drives the prices to be so high. He said that on many occasions he talked to middle aged woman who wanted health insurance say that they weren't going to have anymore children but the law required them to get maternity coverage, which was 1/3 of the price! Also the government has laws that states that health insurance has to coverage people with certain types of disabilities. When i say this, i don't mean that i don't think people with disabilities should not be covered, because I know that other insurance companies would cover those certain types of people. But there is a lack of them because of government requirements. You know, not being able to turn anyone down for coverage, have money requirements, yada, yada. Most people can't deal with the hassle when opening up an insurance companies. Thay why most health insurance agencies are 75-150 years old. Plus, there is this crap about interstate commerce. Which means you can't buy health insurance in another state. You tellin' me, that if they are offering cheaper, and just good healthcare in Pennsylvania i can't get it because I live New York because of interstate commerce. Your Thoughts

Right now in the United States, reforming health care is a challenge because Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on how to get all Americans coverage at an affordable price. While Democrats want a government run program that you would find in Europe, Republicans believe that health insurance should be more affordable so that everyone can afford it. As an American citizen, how would you like to see health care reformed in the United States? Here are five ways I believe health care can be reformed in the United States for all Americans; 1) The government should focus on getting insurance to the 50 million plus Americans who are either uninsured or under-insured coverage instead of a one size fits all program that everyone has. The Americans who need the insurance the most are the poor, the elderly, college students and graduates and the unemployed. 2) Americans who have a disability should have to pay half the price for insurance because it cost most to get the coverage you need. 3) All health insurance companies should accept you as a client no matter if you have a preexisting condition. One of the reasons why Americans cannot get insurance is because some places that do not want to take you as a client since you have a condition that will cost them an arm, a leg and two feet. 4) You should not have to pay an emergency room fee if you end up in the emergency room. After all, our taxpayer dollars pay to keep emergency rooms opened and we should not have to pay more to go to the emergency room and pay more for the coverage or treatment we need. 5) You should not have to pay if you end up in the hospital and you are not at fault. This includes the following scenarios; a) If you get beaten up on the street and you end up in the hospital, you end up paying the bill, not the person who beat you up. b) If an animal attacks you and you end up in the hospital, you end up paying the bill. c) You get in an automobile accident and end up in a coma, when you get out of the hospital, you end up paying the hospital bill, not the driver who hit you. I would also like to add that I do not agree with either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party on the issue of health care reform. I do not agree with the Democrats because they believe the U.S. needs a one size fits all program for all Americans. I do not agree with Republicns because no matter how affordable you make insurance, Americans still cannot afford it because of pre-existing conditions.

My California employer provides short- and long-term disability insurance. I am currently 3 months into short-term and expect to go on long-term early 2010. Today I received a WARN notice that I will be terminated in 60 days. Is my employer allowed to terminate me while I am on disablilty? I have an amount deducted from my paychecks to pay for long term disability insurance. Long-term coverage starts 180 days after the onset.

A friend of mine was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. She was going to need long-term treatment. She learned that after 90 days away from her job she'd be placed on long-term disability (fortunately for her she had purchased that option). If she becomes unable to make her COBRA payments, she will not have health care coverage. Too sick to work for 3 months might lose your insurance. Do you know for sure how your particular situation would work? If this happened to you, you sure would be glad to have a Public Option.

Have worked for this trucking company for a Year, and was involved in a accident on the freeway coming home from work. Under A doctors care I can not drive a truck, and to file for state disability insurance. Found out my employer does not pay in to SDI, and found out I can not get Ca. Disability. Does my emplorer have to provide a disability coverage, since they do not pay in Ca. State disability? Please can some one give me the code which covers this for the state of Ca. That I have to have coverage in case I get hurt and can not work.

Hi, I am from India and my age is 29 years. I am looking for Term insurance for life coverage for 25 lakhs. It should cover death , permanent disability and my medical expenses. Please let me know which life insurance is good in india for all above my requests. Thanks

I was just put on disability (I am far from being a senior, though every webpage I turn to seems to be targeted at those over 65). I just received my Medicare Part A/B card. I also have a Medicaid card because my income is only around $700. Will I be charged the full amt. for Medicare since part of my income is SSI and resource based? Now I'm thinking about these A-L Medigap plans. Does Medicaid replace these, or do I still need to be thinking about Medigaps. What precisely at my income level with medicaid would I not be able to get covered and have the need for a Private company coverage for? I would like to say that I am perfectly happy with having all my doctors at the state hospital where any and all insurance and Medicaid is accepted and they also see indigent patients based on income. However only my psychiatrist is in a private practice, and I hope to be able to stay with him and he is enrolled in Medicare. I guess what I'm getting at with my situation does it sound like I need a Medigap policy, what will I be missing without it? Prescription drugs and Dental care are two things I can think of off the top of my head that I will need.

Instead of blaming the other side and who is wrong, how about coming up with some solutions that ensure everyone can get insurance, including those who have pre-existing conditions, and/or for one reason or another cannot find a full time job or cannot afford a traditional insurance policy due to unemployment, disability, or caring for a disabled person. The coverage needs to allow a person to have prescription coverage, reasonable copays, doctor's visits, hospitalization, lab and Xrays, all at a reasonable copay. The doctors need to be reimbursed a reasonable and customary amount, not 20% of the R&C expenses. The cost cannot rise faster than inflation. And, it must allow anyone the ability to obtain the insurance on a sliding payment scale based upon ability to pay. What is the solution? Evidently, people think that an issue facing 1 in 5 people is not a crisis. Evidently that person has never been on the outside looking in on the insurance issue. The idea of simply finding a job with benefits does not factor in those who live in an area with an over 5% unemployment rate. For those of us in 10% or higher rates, we're lucky to have any job at all. (And you can't move if you can't sell your house and maintain a decent credit rating).

are happy with what we have.we dont have issues with coverage for those who dont have it we just dont want ours messed with.you cant tell me obama and pelosi dont know that and that its unreasonable to want to keep what works for you not to have the government screw with it.are they to backward and thick headed to understand this or do they think they have the right to impose their decisions on our care when were happy with what we have.my insurance is from my employer its good not the best but very good for what it cost me 128.00 for health .dental eye.disability its a fine value. thrasher you are wrong last year i had to have surgery my total bill including physical therapy was almost 25,000.00 my out of pocket costs including co pays was around 500.00 after my doctor decided i need surgery on my shoulder i had it in less than 1 week which also limited the time i was off work not making money and being productive. future am sorry you were sick but i have no issues with those who dont have health care if you would of took the time to read what i said its plain i dont mind obama providing for those who dont have i said leave what i have alone is all.and you wont like this but did you expect your employeer to provide coverage for your wife and 2 kids for free?we make the decision to have kids if i decide to have kids again then i need to assure im able to afford the costs assocaited with having them.

My medications run close to 1000 a month. I have been laid off 3 times in year. I managed to get assistence from the state with medical. I really want to work, but if I do then I lose medical coverage and can not function without my meds. The assenctance place had me apply for disability ssi. I know I will get denied the first time like most people. Most jobs do not have insurance until you have been there 90 days. Either way I am kind of screwed. If I get a job I will end up losing it because without meds I sleep about 2 hours in 2 days. Not to mention all the other problems that come along with that when your mind can not focus on a simple sentence. Or I get a job working for little pay that won't even cover medical expenses for 3 months. I feel like I am using the system now and it sucks. After months of looking I found a job that paid almost nothing and they cancelled my medical when I did. I had to quit there and get it back. So confused and ready to say fuuck it, get a buddy, (already have the tools of the trade) and rob a bank. When you have lost everything sometimes you the biggest risks carry the best rewards. I really wouldn't do that, but it seems I really have nothing left to lose.

I made a huge mistake and waived coverage with my employer. I'm in Louisiana. Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Ugh. That's what I was afraid of. I was mostly concerned about having coverage if I were to be put on bedrest. I knew maternity leave wouldn't be covered, even though I think it should be. ;)

So, I work for a small company (5 employees) and they do not currently offer short term disability. I am interested in getting it, as my hubby and I plan on getting pregnant within the next few months. I just raised the question at our company meeting this morning and I was told to send the owner an email to look into it. His email is a black hole of nothingness so I don't expect to get anything done that way. So I have started filling the whole "Send me a quote" things on the website to have them sent to myself. What I need from you guys is some info/feedback which companies do/don't offer the following: 1) Maternity Coverage 2) At what % of income 3) for how long? (6 week normal, 8 week c-section?) 4) how long did you have to be a policy holder for before you were covered 5) is this through your business or personal.. and if you can tell me how much that would be awesome And for any of you insurance agents out there who may read this, we're located in Pennsylvania and looking for any reasonable quotes you may be able to offer. yeah so if i saved $200/month until i got 3 months worth of salary built up we're looking at me not getting pregnant for 5 years, so I'd be 36 so thats really not an option. Also - I've already had one c-section and plan to have another, so im not sure how a giant gash across my abdomen after major abdominal surgery doesn't count as a disability especially if my doctor says I'm not allowed to drive for 6+ weeks, and my job is all driving.

I’m going to ask this on 2 forums – legal and pregnancy, since I think both groups will probably have good answers. I have worked full time at the same job in Missouri for over 3 years, and I am due with my first child in December. My husband and I have done a lot of thinking, planning, saving and downsizing and have realized that I will be able to stay at home once the baby is born. However, I carry the insurance through my job, and I won’t be able to get on my husband’s until after the baby is born (as a qualifying event). At my job, I am eligible for 6 to 8 weeks of short term disability (at 60% of my salary), plus FMLA. But I heard that, if you don’t return to work after the baby is born, your employer has the right to charge you back – not only for the short term disability payments, but also for the full coverage of your insurance premium. I have googled this in a hundred different ways, and can’t find any information, and obviously I don’t feel comfortable asking my HR department. But because of this possibility, I am willing to return to work for a little bit, obviously…but I was wondering two things: 1. Is this true? 2. If so, how long do I have to return to work in order to avoid this? If you can, please help me out and let me know. Thank you!